Well, I’m excited to show you the before-and-after shots of this “BOLD” tween basement I completed for a family of five. As my clients’ kids were becoming older it was important to have a room dedicated to the tweens of this house. The parents wanted to have a fun place where their kids would host friends on the weekends (instead of wondering where their kids were)! The family also loves to host watch parties during Super Bowl and World Cup games. This colorful room has been a big hit with kids and seems to be the HUB of the neighborhood, especially during World Cup!
It’s come a long way. The basement is over 1000 sq. ft., and was pretty much only used to store old furniture from the couple’s single days. The lighting was my biggest challenge of this project since the space was all underground and natural lighting was sparse. It also had an awkward media alcove at the end of the room and a large, unused kitchen, which seemed to intrude on the space.
It was important for me to create a lively mood to the room, so the kids would gravitate down to the space. I really wanted to create the “WOW” factor by using fun light fixtures and bright colors. Also, it was important to have different seating areas. We placed a dining table for study sessions with friends, and Lego buildings for the youngest member of the family. I also brought in fun bar stools that have a lacquer white finish on the frame, and we upholstered them in bright, stain-resistant fabric.
Now, what to do with that awkward alcove? It was the focal point to the room and wash’t going to vanish. In the end I had horizontal stripes painted in the area to give it some flair. Next, I used custom glass for the shelving to help the dark space come alive with the light migrating all the way through the glass. We were able to make this dark, awkward area a place to showcase some of the kids’ pictures and hobbies.
Next, we focused on a fun area for the kids to play games. We placed a Ping-Pong table in the corner and flanked it with bright, cool wall art. A tween room wouldn’t be complete without a space dedicated to a karaoke machine. I designed storage cubes for all the components of the machine to be stored.
In the end, the kids were thrilled with their new space. On many occasions the youngest child spends hours by himself designing Legos. I think he might have an architect future in him!
Thanks for letting me show you this fun project. If you’ve got a friend with tweens you might want to share this post. I really think it’s crucial to make a fun space for teenagers during these socially awkward years. I truly believe designing usable but fun spaces is good for the soul and family. Xx, Shannon
Wow! I love the bold colors and can see why this is THE place to be for tweens and friends!